Key events
For approximately 45 minutes on Thursday evening, Kamala Harris tried to show the US who she is and why she is worthy of being its next president.
Here are several key takeaways from her speech and the DNC’s final night by the Guardian’s Sam Levine:
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Kamala Harris accepted the nomination: ‘Guided by optimism and faith’: The vice-president’s final speech offered a forceful rebuke of Donald Trump and laid out the stakes of the election.
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Harris said she would ‘always stand for Israel’ and called for ‘Palestinian self-determination’: After days of sustained pro-Palestinian protests calling for an arms embargo on Israel, Harris’s final address offered both a defense of Israel and a call for Palestinian self-determination.
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The convention denied requests for a Palestinian speaker, sparking outrage: The convention ended without a Palestinian American speaker on the main stage, a key demand of the uncommitted movement. The Harris campaign and Democratic party faced increasing pressure throughout the week to include a Palestinian voice, particularly after parents of a Hamas hostage were given a speaking slot and delivered emotional testimony on Wednesday.
For more key takeaways, click here:
Democrats in for hard-fought election after joyful DNC as RFK Jr set to announce end of campaign
Good morning,
Following an energetic few days at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago where Kamala Harris deliver the biggest speech of her career last night, Democrats are now in for the hard part.
With many Democrats rejoicing as a “joyful” Harris offered the much-needed hope following Joe Biden’s lackluster campaign performances several weeks ago, Democrats are now set to fight tooth and nail in battleground states where Harris is polling by just a knife’s edge over Donald Trump.
Additionally, with the DNC’s failure to meet uncommitted delegates’ request for a Palestinian speaker and thousands of anti-war protesters taking to the Chicago streets over their disapproval of US policies on Israel’s deadly war in Gaza, Harris and Democrats will need to figure out how to win the support of those voters, come November. For many, the answer is simple: adhere to demands for a ceasefire and an arms embargo on Israel.
With Democrats rejoicing from the political stamina seen in Chicago over the last few days, Trump remains on the offence. Over the course of Harris’s speech, Trump fired off multiple posts on Truth Social, accusing her of “complaining about everything but doing nothing” and calling her “weak and ineffective.”
Meanwhile, independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr is scheduled to deliver a public address this afternoon in Arizona amid reports of his widely speculated withdrawal.
Here are other developments in US politics:
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Trump is set to deliver remarks on his no tax on tips proposal in Las Vegas today before heading to a rally in Arizona.
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New details have emerged about communication failures prior to Trump’s assassination attempt last month, including forgotten radios, CNN reports.